Eric M. Page
Member
Overview
Eric represents regulated and non-regulated utilities such as electric generation, transmission, and distribution companies, telecommunications carriers, natural gas distribution and pipeline companies, and water and sewer companies. He handles a wide range of regulatory and administrative matters for insurance companies, producers, and agencies, as well as securities dealers and brokers, financial institutions and other clients in licensing, enforcement, and registration proceedings. Eric participates in state and federal administrative proceedings involving licensing, compliance, rulemaking, and enforcement matters on behalf of a wide array of clients, including assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, higher educational institutions, bail bonding companies, minority-owned businesses, contractor professionals, transportation companies, manufacturers, homeowners’ associations, and health care professionals.
In his telecommunications practice, Eric assists numerous competitive local exchange carriers, Internet service providers, broadband companies, interexchange carriers, and Virginia municipalities in certification, transactional, and administrative matters in the competitive telecommunications industry. Eric’s representation of utility companies and other regulated entities includes regulatory proceedings involving rates, services, affiliate transactions, transfers, financing, and other proceedings as well as transactional matters. Prior to entering private practice, Eric served as an Assistant Virginia Attorney General from 1979 to 1983.
Representative Matters
- Serves as Virginia regulatory counsel to a global communications company.
- Serves as Virginia regulatory counsel to a domestic wireless network operator and global internet carrier.
- Lead hearing and appellate counsel for successful challenge at Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia State Corporation Commission jurisdiction over Virginia inmate telephone system.
- Served as Virginia regulatory counsel to 150+ competitive local exchange carriers and municipalities in certification proceedings in Virginia.
- Lead counsel to interexchange carriers in successful litigation against incumbent local exchange carriers in switched access disputes.
- Lead counsel to Virginia electric cooperatives in negotiation of pole attachment agreements with Virginia telephone and cable television companies.
- Served as lead counsel to regulatory approvals for electric cooperative purchase of service territory and distribution and transmission facilities of major investor-owned electric utility.
Spotlight:
Professional Affiliations
- Virginia State Bar Council, Member of the Executive Committee
- Virginia State Bar
- Standing Committee on Budget & Finance
- Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, Former Chair
- Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, Former Chair
- Administrative Law Section, Former Chair
- Bar Association of the City of Richmond Board of Directors, Continuing Legal Education Committee, Former Chair
- Virginia Bar Association, Member Committee on Nominations to Virginia Commissions & Appellate Courts
- Virginia Code Commission Administrative Law Advisory Committee
- Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association
- United States Chamber of Commerce Telecommunications & E-Commerce Committee
Community Involvement
- Eckert Seamans representative to Richmond Firms in Service, an organization that promotes pro bono services in Central Virginia
- St. Bridget School Advisory Board
- Coalition for a Greater Richmond, Member of the Board of Directors
Awards and Recognition:
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for Information Technology Law Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) “Lawyer of the Year”; and The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for Administrative / Regulatory Law; Communications Law; Energy Law; Insurance Law; Municipal Law
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2022 Administrative / Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Inducted as a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2020 Information Technology Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Selected for inclusion in Virginia Lawyers Media 2019 Leaders in the Law
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2019 Communications Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2018 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Attained an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2015 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Communications Law; Energy Law; Information Technology Law; Insurance Law; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy); Municipal Law
- Selected for inclusion in Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” for Legislative/Regulatory/Administrative law
- Selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers
News and Insights
Publications
- “Municipal Broadband Opportunities,” Virginia State Bar Journal of Local Government Law, Fall 2005.
- “A Defense of the Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education System,” Virginia Lawyer, February 2007.
Media Coverage
- “Virginia biomass case has high stakes for state’s renewable market,” Energy News Network, May 17, 2018.
- “Court approves new lawyer impairment guidance,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, September 9, 2017.
- “No duty to report impaired colleague,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, June 27, 2017.
News Releases
Speaking Engagements
- Spoke to the graduating students of the University of Richmond School of Law on pro bono service and a lawyer’s obligation to volunteer their time to help close the nation’s “justice gap,” May 2019.
- “We’re Here From the Government and We’re Here to Help: Dealing with ALF Regulators,” presented at the Fall Meeting of the Virginia Assisted Living Association in Norfolk, VA, October 2017.
- “Recent Developments in Virginia Legal Ethics,” presented to lawyers at the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, July 2017.
- “Building a Record for Appeal in an Agency Hearing,” Virginia Supreme Court Hearing Officer Training Conference, December 2016.
- “Building an Appeal Record,” Virginia Bar Association Administrative Law Conference, November 2013.
- “Virginia Energy Business 101: An Overview,” Governor’s Conference on Energy, October 2012.
- “Municipal Utilities: Opportunities and Challenges in an Unregulated World,” Virginia Bar Association Administrative Law Conference, November 2010.
Interests
Eric enjoys playing tennis and golf. In addition to his athletic pursuits, he is a violinist.